Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser., 1887-04-15

and sleep upon the ground A very
slight indisposition may soon result in
organic difficulty, and possibly death.
When cattle once get taste OF fresh
grass they are not disposed to return
to their dry fodder with any degree Of
willingness, and the result is that there
being not enough of nutriment in the
pasture to provide for the animals
necessities, a lax condition follows,
and as We say, "They come out poor" iD
the spring. 1t takes weeks to recover
condition. All stock should have lit
tie extra grain at this period.
PAsTURING vs.SoILING.-Ifa a farm
er were to compare the revenues from
his pastures with that from his culti-
vated fields, he would find the former
to make a poor showing. 1t is net
profitable to pasture cattle. From
three to six times as much fodder of
one kind and another could be raised
from meadows or cultivated ground,
acre for acre, and no fields are sooner
affected by summer droughts than
pastures. They are an uncertain
quantity. 1t will pay any farmer to
invest more money in labor and less in
land, in order to increase productive
ness upon the lesser area. Soiling is
one way whereby this may be accom-
plished. For this purpose, corn ranks
of first Importance. It is easily grown,
produces abundantly, and Is eaten eag-
erly by stock. The sweet varieties are
best, and the seed may be sown from
the middle of May to the middle of
June. Sow the seed in drills about
two and half feet apart, so that the
corn may be cultivated with a horse.
hoe. The rows should run north and
south. in order that the sun may not
be so much excluded. Corn sown
broadcast is less nutritious. and does
not mature satisfactorily. Rye is also
used as green fodder, and is by some
preferred to corn. Even if cattle are
pastured early in the season, there is
almost always need of something in the
line of green fodder to bridge over The
quite common summer droughts.
SOWING OATS. is scarcely
any crop grown by the farmers SO hast
lily and even carelessly put in as the
oats crop. Probably it is because oats
will grow and yield better under poor
tillage than m ,st other grain. But it
should be borne in mind that oats, as
we'll as other grain, appreciate good
tillage, and the first step is to prepare
the ground thoroughly, making the
soil mellow. Oats cannot "tiller" or
"stool" out so we'll in hard soil, and
the success of the crop will depend
much on Its ability to "tiller." We be-
]ieve in sowing oats just as early in
spring as the ground can be titled, yet
it should never be plowed when wet.
Oats need long, cool season, SO that
the earlier they can be sown, under
rightconditions, the better. Many good
farmers prefer to plow the land for oats
in the fall, then as soon as the frost is
oat in the spring they carefully harrow
the field and put in the seed. 1t is
advisable to change the seed every few
years, and particular care should be
given it's selection. Plump, full grin
is only fit for seed /; shrunke seed will
produce shrunken crop. Substance
and feeding value is what is sought for,
but il you begin with poor preparation
of the soil, followed by poor seed, a
poor crop is almost certainty. Fer
tilizers are commonly needed for the
corn crop in the spring, but no crop
would show larger increase from
fertilizing than oats, if there were
plenty OF such material for all de-
mands. A good soil piowed under in
the fall will help materially.
Potato PLANTING. - Like every
other crop potatoes like good seed
bed; there is nothing made in giving
them anything else. In fact, it may be
put down as the first important con-
sideration to the success of any crop,
and good seed is the second. Potatoes
for seed should be exposed to the light,
and cut into seed pieces some time be-
fore planting. Cut the pieces and
spead them in light, airy room, where
the surface may callous over and dry a
little. This will obviate largely the
effects of damp soil on the seed, and
help to prevent decay. But they should
not become too dry. Every farmer
has his own ideas about deep and shall
low planting, seed cut to single eyes,
or more,or planted whole, but it is our
experience that two or three good
healthy buds on each piece will give
just as good results as more, and, as a
rule, better than less. About four to
six inches is the proper depth to plant.
Alfred Rose, the originator of the Rose
potatoes, experimented few years ago
on several varieties Of potatoes, plant
ing two hundred single eyes from each
variety, from potatoes weighing from
five to six ounces each. The rows were
three feet apart and seed pieces one
foot apart in the row, and planted un-
der three inches of soil, rows marked
seven inches deep, land we'll manured.
Nearly every hill showed sprouts in
ten days from planting. The seed was
cut five weeks before planting and
rolled IN plaster and lime and spread
on boards aud stirred frequently to
keep from heating. He found that
potatoes ripened from the ten to four
teen days earlier than when planted
green. Almost all of the fourteen va
rieties planted ripened within three
months from anting,excentingWhi
Elephant. Mammoth Pearl, and two
or three others which required four
and half months. Roses New Seed
ling, Magnum Bonum and Mammoth
Pearl were the three best yielders on
the list, and in the opinion of Mr.Rose,
the Magnum Bonum has no superior
for all qualities essential to fine po-
tato. His heaviest single potato of this
variety weighed three and half
nounds-N Y Tndoneudonf